Chase Thomas Talks on Cardinal Commitment

Matt Squeri

12/16/2007

You've heard from Chase Thomas' father on the Marietta (Ga.) Walton pass rusher's decision to commit to Stanford. Now we bring you the thoughts of the recruit himself as he discusses his relationship with the Stanford coaching staff, their plans for early playing time for him, and much more.

When Marietta (Ga.) Walton three-star defensive end Chase Thomas committed to
Stanford this week, Thomas and his family attributed the decision largely to a
strong relationship with the Stanford Football coaching staff. In speaking with
The Bootleg about his commitment, Thomas once again emphasized his bond with the
coaches and also touched on other factors that led him to commit to the
Cardinal.

"It just came down to where I found myself most comfortable," Thomas
explains. "I did at Stanford. It was very comforting. The coaches are awesome
and they're just really energetic, personable guys. And I'll definitely get a
chance at some early playing time there. It will definitely open up some doors
after college for jobs and stuff like that."

"It's great," Thomas offers in expanding on his relationship with the
Stanford coaches. "We get along well. It's just relaxed when we talk with
each other. We don't really talk about football. We just talk about life and
stuff like that. That is also nice."

The continuing focus on the staff comes amidst a vigorous recruitment in
which Thomas has emerged as one of the top prospects on Stanford's board. A
talented pass rusher with a 6'4" 210-pound frame and athletic ability that could
project him at any one of a number of positions in the defensive front seven,
Thomas offers the Stanford coaches an attractive option for filling significant
needs on defense.

Given the high priority the staff places on Thomas, he has been the recipient
of regular phone calls and visits by various Stanford coaches throughout the
year. With in-home visits allowed the last two weeks as part of one of the most
intense contact periods of the recruiting cycle, the Thomas home has been a
regular stop for Stanford coaches eager to attract him to the Farm.

"Coach [D.J.] Durkin and Coach [Jim] Harbaugh came one week, and then Coach
[Willie] Taggart and Coach Durkin came this past week," Thomas says of his most
recent face-to-face contact with his future coaches. The regular involvement of
a regional recruiter in Taggart, position coach in Durkin, and head coach in
Harbaugh reflects the high degree of importance the Stanford staff has placed on
landing Thomas. With a non-stop motor and athleticism that produces relentless
pressure on opposing quarterbacks, Thomas represents exciting possibilities for
Stanford in a year in which stockpiling defensive talent is a top priority.

Playing defensive end for Walton this year, Thomas wreaked havoc in opposing
backfields to the tune of 84 tackles and 17 sacks, to go with three quarterback
hurries, three pass breakups and an interception. Over the course of his last two
high school seasons, he racked up an impressive 37 sacks.

The high level of production in getting to opposing quarterbacks as well as
the big frame begging for more weight to prepare for the banging of the college
game evoke comparisons to current Stanford linebacker extraordinaire Clinton Snyder. At the same stage in his development, Snyder reported a 6'4" 210-pound
build and had just completed a high school career that boasted 32.5 sacks in his
final two years. Three years later, Snyder has added 20 pounds of muscle and has
finished 11th in the Pac-10 in tackles in each of his first two seasons. His
sophomore campaign placed him in the conference's top 10 in sacks, tackles for
loss, fumbles forced and fumbles recovered on his way to earning all-conference
recognition. In introducing the starting lineups in the nationally televised
game against Notre Dame, Head Coach Jim Harbaugh called Snyder the best player
on the team.

The uncanny resemblances between Thomas and Snyder in terms of build, high
school production, and tenacity at getting to the quarterback help explain why
Thomas is viewed as capable of helping out at any number of positions for the
Cardinal defense. In his three years on campus for Stanford, Snyder has
variously lined up at defensive end and each of the linebacker positions and has
played in both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive alignments. Similar flexibility may be in
Thomas' future, which he says will depend on how he grows.

"I think they think I could play multiple positions," Thomas muses regarding
the Stanford coaches' plans for him. "Anywhere from a linebacker, three of those
positions, down to defensive end."

Despite this apparent flexibility, however, Thomas provides a particularly
appealing option at defensive end, where his pass rushing ability promises the
potential for a much-needed helping hand at a position unit gutted by graduation
losses. With Udeme Udofia and Emmanuel Awofadeju completing their eligibility
this past season, Stanford loses half of its 2007 playing rotation at defensive
end.

The 2008 team will return the other half of that rotation in Pannel Egboh and
Erik Lorig and will depend on contributions from current freshman Thomas Keiser,
but the rotation on the edge still looks very much up in the air. Chase Thomas
figures to be in the mix given his proven pass rushing ability and the acute
needs for the Stanford defense.

"I think they definitely see me playing next year, and I don't think they are
going to redshirt me," Thomas says. "That's why I need to get bigger and ready
by the time I get in during the summer. We'll definitely have some meat on me in
the next couple of months before the season starts."

With a frame that currently looks more like an outside linebacker than a
college defensive end, it stands to reason that putting on bulk tops the
off-season to-do list for Thomas. Indeed, he identifies size and speed as the
attributes he would like to improve in the coming months. Nonetheless, the lean
Georgian notes that Stanford's coaches remain more interested in the latter
attribute at this point.

"Mostly they want me to keep my speed and work on my speed some more," Thomas
reveals. "But yeah, I'm trying to put on some weight, too."

In addition to having a clear sense of the off-season ahead and the
likelihood of early playing time, Thomas claims a more immediate focus on
helping attract other top prospects to join him in Stanford's recruiting class
by telling them "the same thing that I saw from Stanford and relay that to
them."

"I've talked to a couple [other recruits]," Thomas shares. "There's a kid
down here named Xavier Avery that might be interested in coming to Stanford...
I'm trying to call some other recruits and
talk to them." An elite two-sport athlete who ranks near the top of the wish
list for both Stanford Football and Stanford Baseball, Avery joins Thomas as a
Georgia product the coaches are eager to sign in February.

Meanwhile, Thomas can concentrate on enjoying his last year of high school
when he is not on the phone with other recruits. Already admitted to Stanford
last month, he does not need to sweat out the school's admissions process any
longer. He is also done with his high school season after seeing Walton's
championship run come to an end last Saturday with a loss in the Class AAAAA
Georgia state semifinals.

"Well I wish we could have won [last weekend] and gone to the state
championship this week," Thomas reflects on the end of his playing days with
Walton. "But it felt good in winning our region title and leading our team to
the semifinals. It is the farthest we've gone in the last couple of years. So it
was good to get back to dominance. It was a great year."

"It was a little difficult," Thomas admits. "I met some really nice coaches
and some big powerhouse teams down here in the SEC, but I just did what I think
is best for me and that's why I chose Stanford."

Are you fully subscribed to The Bootleg?
If not, then you are missing out on all the top Cardinal coverage we provide
daily on our website, as well as our full-length feature articles in our glossy
magazine. Sign up today for the biggest and best in Stanford sports coverage
with TheBootleg.com (sign-up)
and The Bootleg Magazine (sign-up)!